When you deploy Voice over IP (VoIP) or Gigabit Ethernet, you want to make sure the existing cabling will support the bandwidth requirements of your new equipment. Your cabling was certified, but moves adds and changes have rendered many links incapable of running desired speeds. CableIQ quickly reveals whether a link, including patch cords, is qualified for voice, 10/100BASE-T, VoIP, or Gig. Knowing your cabling‘s bandwidth capabilities before upgrading can prevent countless hours of future downtime and labor hours wasted on unnecessary troubleshooting.
Choosing the Right Tool for the Job
When to use a qualification tester: If you are a network technician, and need to see whether the existing cabling will support your 1000BASE-T network, a qualification tool is the right choice. If you need to troubleshoot connectivity problems and isolate cabling problems from network problems, then qualification is the perfect solution. If you have an existing network and are doing small adds, moves, and changes, or are setting up a temporary network and just need to qualify it for a specific network technology, a qualification tool is a good option.
When to use a certification tester: If you're a commercial installer or network owner who needs to prove that all cabling has been installed correctly, and meets TIA or ISO link specifications, you must certify it. If you are in a troubleshooting environment, and need to show unequivocally that the link under test is failing category 5e or 6 performance requirements according to TIA or ISO standards, your only choice is a certification tool. If you have a mixture of fiber and copper cabling, and often need to test both, cable certification tools do that best.
To receive the support and financial security of a manufacturer's warranty, certification to TIA/ISO standards is your only option. Anything else makes the installer liable for the performance of the installation which can be quite costly. For example, a large 1000 link installation could represent a $100,000 (USD) project, which can be a hefty liability if manufacturer warranty is not obtained.
When to use a verification tool: Verification tools are typically used by any technician who pulls and terminates cable or performs basic moves, adds and changes. These tools are used as a first line of defense in finding connection and wire-pairing faults.